Cold Case
by Sparkle731
Summary: Rosie Dobey keeps a promise when she solves a twenty year old murder case


**BURIED ALIVE**

**Starsky is responsible for protecting a group of children when the bus they are on is hijacked.**

**A/N: This story was inspired by a movie called **_**They've taken our Children**_** starring Karl Malden. This was based on a real event that occurred on July 15, 1976 in Chowchila, California when 26 children and their bus driver were kidnapped.**

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Come on, Starsk…" Hutch cajoled his reluctant partner. "You'll see. It'll be great. It's just for the weekend."

"Fine. You go then," Starsky whined "You know I don't like camping."

"I'm already going, mush brain" Hutch reminded him with an indulgent smile. "But, we need one more chaperone."

"So, naturally, you just had to volunteer me without even bothering to ask me first." Starsky complained. The brunet sighed and looked at his partner with a dejected expression. He knew that he would give in. He always did when Hutch wanted him to do something even if it was something he didn't want to do.

Come on, buddy. It's for the kids." Hutch coaxed him.

Hutch had been a big brother for almost three years to a Hispanic youth named Kiko. The local chapter of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters association was having a weekend retreat for all the children they worked with. Hutch had been telling Starsky about it for weeks. At the last minute, the second chaperone that had been scheduled to go on the trip had been forced to cancel and Hutch had immediately volunteered Starsky to take his place. Kiko and his adopted sister, Molly, would both be going.

"Yeah…but why does it have to be a camping trip?" Starsky said glumly. "Why couldn't they just take them to Disneyland or something?"

Hutch chuckled. His partner was a big kid himself sometimes and Disneyworld would be more his idea of a good time than a camping trip. Starsky was a city boy and anything out of his element made him uncomfortable. But, despite his complaining, Hutch knew that the brunet would have a good time once they got to the camp grounds.

"Come on, pal…what do ya say?" Hutch said.

"Okay, okay," Starsky said "But, if I get ate by a bear, it's gonna be all your fault."

"You're not going to get ate by a bear," Hutch told him with a fond smile. "Maybe just nibbled on by a hungry raccoon." He ignored the dirty look Starsky gave him as he walked into the kitchen to get them both a beer. Returning with two cans, he handed one to his partner, as he sank down on the sofa beside him. "You better get to bed early tonight," the big blond said, "We have to leave at six-thirty in the morning. The buses are leaving at seven."

"Geeze, why couldn't they wait a couple of hours?" Starsky said, taking a long swallow of his beer. "It's not like the camp grounds are gonna go anywhere."

"Because it's almost a three hour drive from here and we have to be there before eleven." Hutch explained patiently. Starsky was not a morning person and he tended to sleep in on his days off. "My stuff is already in the car. Why don't I just crash here tonight?"

"Suit yourself." Starsky said, finishing his beer and setting the can on the coffee table. "How about a pizza? I'm starved."

"As long as you leave the kitchen sink off my half." Hutch told him. Their dietary habits were just another one of the differences between the two friends. While Hutch tried to eat a nutritious and healthy diet; Starsky craved junk food, loaded with empty calories and carbohydrates. Starsky nodded and shoved himself to his feet to call in their order. When their food arrived, they ate it while watching a movie on television and finishing off the six pack in Starsky's refrigerator.

Hutch was awake at five-thirty the next morning. He took a short jog around the block before returning to Starsky's apartment to wake up the brunet. Starsky was buried in his blankets, nothing showing except his thick curls. Hutch raised the blind, flooding the room with early morning sunlight.

"Come on, Starsk." He said cheerfully "Time to get up."

The brunet mumbled something unintelligible and burrowed further under the covers. Hutch grabbed the covers and gave them a yank, pulling them off the slumbering brunet.

"Hey!" Starsky yelped, making a futile grab for the blankets. Hutch grinned and stepped back, holding the royal blue comforter just out of his reach.

"Get your ass out of bed and hit the shower." Hutch told him, dumping the blanket on the floor beside Starsky's dresser. "If you hurry up, we'll have time to grab something to eat before we leave."

Starsky muttered under his breath as he reluctantly climbed out of bed and padded towards the adjoining bathroom. Hutch grinned as he headed towards the kitchen to put on some coffee. A creature of habit, Starsky wouldn't be able to face the day without a cup of coffee first.

Half an hour later, the two men were on their way to the Big Brother/Big Sister's office where they would be meeting up with the rest of the group going on the trip. Besides Starsky and Hutch, there would be two other adults chaperoning the sixteen children that would going on the retreat. Both were staff members of the organization and would be driving the two mini buses that would transporting the group to the camp grounds.

When they arrived at the parking lot behind the building where the agency had it's offices, they were greeted enthusiastically by Kiko and Molly. At fifteen, Kiko was one of the oldest boys going on the trip. His adopted sister, Molly, was fourteen and one of the older girls. The rest of the children ranged in age from seven to fourteen. Starsky and Hutch listened as the group was split up, 8 adolescents and 2 adults to each bus. Hutch and Molly would be on one bus, while Starsky and Kiko were on the other one.

The staff member in charge, a pretty blonde with long legs, reminded the teenagers and younger children of the rules they were expected to follow during the ride to the camp grounds. She stressed the importance of obeying the two adults in charge of each bus. Although Kiko, Molly and the two staff members knew that Starsky and Hutch were police officers, the other children did not. After she had finished, Starsky and Hutch ushered the children under their care onto the proper bus.

The pretty blond would be driving the bus Hutch was on while Starsky's driver was an older man in his mid-fifties with a stocky build and gray hair. The two buses would be in contact with each other through CB radios during the long drive to the camp site. The bus Starsky was on would be following the one that Hutch was on.

Starsky felt a twinge of envy as he settled down in the front seat, directly behind the driver. He knew that Hutch would be taking advantage of the situation and flirting with the pretty blonde driving his bus. He sighed heavily as the buses pulled off the lot and merged into the flow of early morning traffic.

"Hey, Starsk," said Kiko, who was sitting in the seat behind Starsky "How did Hutch talk you into going along? I thought you hated camping." The Hispanic youth smiled mischievously as he waited for the brunet's answer. "After that last camping trip you took with Hutch, you swore you'd never go camping again."

"Hutch volunteered me and then told me about it afterwards." Starsky told him with a crooked smile. "He made it kinda hard to say no."

"This is supposed to be a nice place." Kiko said "I know a guy who went last year and he said that they have cabins and everything."

"If Hutch had his way, we'd still be sleeping on the ground." Starsky grumbled good naturedly. His spirits lifted, somewhat, when he heard that the camp grounds had cabins and that he wouldn't have to sleep outside in a tent. Maybe this weekend wouldn't be so bad after all.


End file.
